I could have sworn this was confirmed in some Japanese magazine or compilation video months ago, but apparently Nintendo found the need to remind us that there is going to be a Mario baseball game. I know, it’s a shocker, who knew that Nintendo would bring one of their highly successful franchises from the Gamecube to the Wii with motion support? I am as surprised as any of you.

The game will, of course, feature easy to learn controls that will have players mimicking the motions they went through with the Achilles heel of Wii Sports, Wii Baseball. While I did enjoy the watered down version that came with the Wii, being able to control basemen and do more then hit and pitch would make Mario Super Sluggers a sure hit. The Gamecube version was fantastic, and hopefully the greatness carries on.

The press release is below, and the title is due out later in the year.

Nintendo Hits a Home Run with Mario Super Sluggers
Nintendo Announces Surprise Addition to Wii Lineup

REDMOND, Wash., April 10, 2008 - The ongoing excitement over Nintendo's groundbreaking Wii™ system gets a surprise springtime boost with the announcement of a new game. Kicking off its semiannual media summit in San Francisco near the company's new sales and marketing offices in Redwood City, Calif., Nintendo of America today revealed plans for Mario Super Sluggers™ for Wii, giving baseball fans even more reason to root this season.

"Mario is truly a one-of-a-kind character; clearly fans can't get enough of him and his friends," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "We're giving Wii users brilliant new ways to enjoy him while expanding our series of active-play games."

In the same spirit as other sports-themed Mario™ games on Wii like Mario Strikers® Charged and Mario Kart® Wii, Mario Super Sluggers blends richly interactive baseball action with eccentric characters and elements from across the popular Mario universe. Players can swing the wireless Wii Remote™ just like a real bat or wave it toward the plate to deliver a masterful pitch, enjoying the same intuitive, easy-to-learn controls that helped make Wii Sports™ a living room hit. With Mario and his unpredictable pals filling out the roster, imagination and active-play innovation are sure to dominate the diamond in this lively title, scheduled for release later this year.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

 

 

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